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Test Procedures

TESTING FOR A SHORT BETWEEN MULTIPLE CIRCUITS 

Fig 1: Checking For A Short Between Multiple Circuits
GC0157772Courtesy of CHRYSLER GROUP, LLC
NOTE:

Before measuring the resistance of any circuit, first measure the resistance between the two leads of the multimeter. Take this value and subtract it from the value recorded when measuring the resistance of the circuit being checked (The meter leads can add 0.5 ohm or more of total resistance).

  1. Turn the ignition off.
  2. Disconnect the wire harness connectors of the components that contain the circuits that are suspected of being shorted together.
    NOTE:

    Check connectors - Clean/repair as necessary.

  3. At this time leave all in-line connectors connected.
  4. With all the component wire harness connectors disconnected, use a multimeter set to Ohms (?), and measure the resistance between the applicable circuits in one of the harness connectors.
  5. Use one lead of the multimeter and carefully probe the circuit suspected of being shorted.
  6. Use the other lead of the meter and one at a time, carefully probe the other circuits in the harness connector.

    Is the resistance below 10k ohms when probing any two circuits?

    Yes 

    • Repair the short between the circuits. Use the wiring diagram as a guide to trace the circuits and look for any in-line connectors where the short could occur.
    • One method to help isolate the short is to disconnect any in-line connectors that the circuit being tested runs through and measure for the short again. If the short goes away, the short is on the other side of the in-line connector.

    No 

    • The circuit is not shorted or the condition that originally caused the short may not be present at this time. Continue to measure the resistance and wiggle the wire harness and connectors while checking for an intermittent short.
      NOTE:

      By disconnecting the wire harness connectors you may have eliminated the source that was causing the short.

    • Use the wiring diagram as a guide to trace the circuits and look for any in-line connectors where the short could occur intermittently.
    • Look for any chafed, pierced, pinched, or partially broken wires.
    • Look for broken, bent, pushed out or corroded terminals. Verify that there is good pin to terminal contact in the related wire harness connectors.
    • Perform any Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) that may apply.
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